Raspberries

Raspberries weren’t something we planned on growing.  Our neighbors behind us have a huge raspberry patch and the birds have spread the seeds into our yard.  So when we moved here instead of pulling them all up we have decided to let them grow in a certain area.  I had never made raspberry jam before and that same year our neighbor let us go over and pick a bunch.  I made raspberry jam and it is now my favorite type of jam.  I can’t go without it.

Our neighbor has now remarried and they pick and sell the raspberries instead of letting us pick them.  So this year we bought some bare root plants and planted our own raspberry patch.  Something you should know about raspberries is it takes a year before you get any raspberries.  They shoot up a cane the first spring and the next year is when they start to produce raspberries.  So this year we didn’t really have enough for jam but luckily I have a wonderful friend who had more than enough and she gave me enough to do three batches of jam.  Thanks Amy.

I have some kind of pest problem not sure what it is.  It’s a bug that likes to make a lot of holes in the leaves.  It hasn’t hurt the production of raspberries but I’m afraid that it might affect the plant. I’ve done a little bit of research and it could be earwigs, Japanese beetles, or some kid of fungus.  I’ve never seen anything actually chomping away at the plant but I have seen earwigs in that area before.  What do you think?